The U.S. is abandoning soft diplomacy: Podolyak on the shift in approach to Russia

The United States has begun to assess Russia’s behavior and the effectiveness of its own foreign policy toward the Kremlin more critically.

This was stated by Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President, in a comment to the YouTube channel RBC-Ukraine.

“Washington understands that the current form of diplomacy — soft and cautious — doesn’t work with Russia. This approach allows the Kremlin to raise the stakes and use diplomacy as a cover for escalation,” Podolyak emphasized.

According to him, Russia exploits the perceived weakness of its opponents and deliberately targets Donald Trump’s reputation, hoping to provoke internal division within the United States. Meanwhile, Ukraine, in Podolyak’s view, behaves very differently.

“The U.S. sees Ukraine as a constructive and comfortable partner for negotiations. Kyiv openly demonstrates a willingness for peace and supports initiatives for a complete ceasefire — which sets us apart from the Russian side, which only spreads propaganda,” the advisor stressed.

In his opinion, the U.S. is now ready to change its approach and is more likely to take tougher action against Russia, possibly involving Donald Trump.

“I believe we will see some much tougher actions from the U.S. in the very near future,” Podolyak concluded.